Cracow Indological Studies (CIS) founded in 1995 by Marzenna Czerniak-Drożdżowicz, Iwona Milewska, Lidia Sudyka and Cezary Galewicz is an open-access periodical currently edited at the Department of Languages and Cultures of India and South Asia (Institute of Oriental Studies, Jagiellonian University, Cracow). The CIS volumes are published twice a year in English, covering various areas and contexts of South Asian studies ranging from purely literary issues to those present in texts in different Indian languages contributing to the history, philosophy, aesthetics, art and religion of the Indian Subcontinent, with the main focus on India.
Poetry on Combat for Secularism and Democracy
The tragic events that followed the demolition of Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992 in Ayodhya were the culmination of a conflict simmering for almost the entire period of independent India, especially after the 1980s, striking at democracy and secularism, two values on which independent India was built. The Hindi literary world did not remain silent to these developments. However, the literary output that emerged on the subject during this time, though largely known and studied from the perspective of communal conflict and politics, has not been explored in the context of bearing witness by the literary community—their specific gaze as a witness. This article attempts to fill this gap by looking at two poetry collections, Apnī zabān, and Yah aisā samay hai, edited by Asad Zaidī and Viṣṇu Nāgar, and published by SAHMAT in 1994. It offers a contextualised analysis of the creative expression offered by poets acting in defence of a democratic, secular state.
Copyright (c) 2025 Danuta Stasik https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Indigenous People, Environmental Issues and a Reinterpretation of the Indian Epic Tradition in the Bengali Short Story A Bird’s Mother (Pākhir Mā) by Sunil Gangopadhyay
This paper deals with the Bengali short story A Bird’s Mother (Pākhir Mā) by Sunil Gangopadhyay (1934–2012). First published in 1964, the story must have been inspired by the recent mass attacks on the indigenous Lodha ethnic group in the Midnapore district of West Bengal and P. K. Bhowmick’s seminal book The Lodhas of West Bengal: A Socio-Economic Study (1963), as well as news about the degradation of Midnapore’s sal forests and the declining numbers of Siberian cranes wintering in India. Combining social and environmental concerns, the story shows how complex interactions between wildlife, indigenous people and agricultural communities can lead to conflict and aggression. The paper analyses the story in detail, focusing on the strategies used by the author to explain attitudes towards indigenous people in rural India. The paper also suggests that the story may be read as a modern reinterpretation of the krauñca-vadha episode from the Rāmāyaṇa.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anna Trynkowska https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Hermina Cielas Leão https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Rural Violence and Warfare in Medieval South India
This paper explores the problem of rural violence in medieval South India through a study of hero-stones collected from the districts of lower Karnataka between the 9th and 13th centuries. These documents reveal a world of everyday violence in which the countryside emerges as a space of potentially open-ended belligerence, and the peasant an armed agent. Furthermore, hero-stone inscriptions suggest that localized rural violence was continuous with, and only partly distinct from, what historians often characterized separately as ‘state violence,’ and in fact existed in a heuristically ‘intermediate realm,’ a point that has serious implications for understanding the nature of state, society and conflict in medieval South India more generally.
Copyright (c) 2025 Daud Ali https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Monika Browarczyk, Martin Hříbek, Lidia Sudyka https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Adivasi or tribal communities in contemporary India are no strangers to violence. The incidence of violence within the tribal world requiresa multifaceted analysis. While much of the contemporary violence arises out of contestations over resources, it may also arise from other factors like social prejudice. This paper proposes a typology of violence encountered in the world of Adivasis through the history of the Lodha community in the Indian state of West Bengal. Categorized as Criminal Tribe in 1916 during British colonial rule, Lodhas were vilified and victimized both by the colonial government and by the rural society at large. After Independence, the Criminal Tribes Act was repealed in 1952, and Lodhas were denominated as the Denotified Tribes or vimukta jāti. This did not, however, ameliorate their social marginalization or their material status and Lodhas continued to live a life of abject poverty even under progressive governments. Finally, the paper looks at the steps taken by the Lodha community to combat such stigmatization in recent years.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sanjukta Das Gupta https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Śurpaṇakhā from the Rāmāyaṇa, though she plays a pivotal role in the epic, is often neglected in the main discourse. The character’s exclusion from the central narrative typically positions her as the “other” and reduces her to a flat, villainous archetype. To bring her from the margins to the center, it is crucial to reimagine and reinterpret her narrative in order to reclaim her subjectivity. Thus, this paper proposes revising Śurpaṇakhā in Poile Sengupta’s play, Thus Spake Shoorpanakha, So Said Shakuni, through the lens of the rasa-bhāva theory. It moves beyond the aesthetics to view rasa as a transformative medium, shaping the character’s experiences. It investigates the factors that marginalize Śurpaṇakhā in the traditional narrative and how they instigate dominant sthāyibhāvas like śoka (grief) and krodha (anger), which, respectively, evoke karuṇa rasa and raudra rasa, shaping the character’s internal conflicts and agency. By redefining her emotional complexity, this study challenges traditional Rāmāyaṇa narratives and offers new perspectives on the emotional experience of marginalized voices.
Copyright (c) 2025 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
A decades long attempt by the central government to control dissent in Punjab culminated in a military operation codenamed Bluestar (June 1984). Overtly aimed at flushing militants from the Golden Temple, it led to the desecration of the sacred place by the army and an unwarranted bloodshed, soon to be followed by the assassination of Indira Gandhi (31 October 1984), anti-Sikh riots, an unprecedented growth of militancy in Punjab and division of Punjabi society along religious lines. Punjabi literature addressed the matter, trying to make sense of the traumatic event and its aftermath. Dalip Kaur Tiwana (1935–2020), too, provided, by way of her novel, Jimī ̃ puchai āsmān / The Earth Asks the Sky (1986), a fictionalised witness account informed by her experience as university teacher whose students find themselves drawn into the vortex of political exigencies. A study of her reflections on dissent and violence in this context will constitute the subject matter of this paper.
Copyright (c) 2025 Maria Puri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
To date generations of people from South Asia grapple with traumatic experiences of havoc and violence prior to, during and in the aftermath of the Partition of British India. Writings in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, and English, i.e. in languages spoken in the regions mostly affected by the turmoil of 1947, reflect the painful process of coming to terms with these experiences and of possible reconciliation with consequences of “the long shadow of partition” (Bhutalia 2015). Violence against women, often gruesome and unspeakable, was a facet of the Partition that occurred repeatedly but whose testimony and records were either censored and/or silenced by survivors and newly established states for diverse individual, communal and “nation-building” reasons (Bhutalia 1998). In my paper I would like to examine how Hindi novels dating from the end of the 1950s to 2016 narrate instances of partition violence against women. With focus on Yashpal’s Jhūṭ hā sac of 1958, Bhishm Sahni’s Tamas of 1974 and Krishna Sobti’s Gujrāt pākistān se gujrāt hindustān tak of 2016 I scrutinize various
Copyright (c) 2025 Monika Browarczyk https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The article examines narratives on domestic violence in middle-class families in selected novels of an acclaimed Indian author, Bani Basu, who writes in Bengali. Svetpātharer thālā (1990) and Khārāp chele (2002), set in the second half of the 20th century in Kolkata, provide meticulous depictions of the patriarchal system in an urban middle-class society that is modern and conservative at the same time. The analysis suggests that Basu follows relatively conventional narrative patterns while portraying women experiencing domestic violence, namely showing their journey from submissive wives—psychologically manipulated by their husbands, their in-laws and the society at large—to self-confident agents of change who fight for their freedom and happiness, paying a heavy price for their acts of rebellion.
Copyright (c) 2025 Weronika Rokicka https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Violence in Modern Indian Thought in the Mirror of World War II
The turmoil at the end of the long 19th century and the aftermath of the World War I inspired many Indian political thinkers to reflect upon violence as a means of attaining statehood. Revolutionary violence brought about abrupt social transformation in Russia, while the breakdown of the Austro-Hungarian Empire enabled the formation of several new states. Meanwhile, Germany, the other major European power, was reduced to shambles. The contradictory possibilities which the above developments proffered to the cause of India’s independence shaped Indian debates on violence during the interwar period, finding their most acute expression in references to the emerging developments of the World War II. Focusing on Indian responses to the violence of the World War II, this paper analyses writings of some nationalist figures—primarily Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Aurobindo Ghosh, and Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar—to examine how different philosophies such as non-violence, revolutionary struggle, and Hindu nationalism intersected with European wartime developments. These perspectives are framed as tensions between spiritual morality and pragmatic realpolitik.
Copyright (c) 2025 Martin Hříbek https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
No abstract is avaliable for this article.
In the Mahābhārata (MBh), whipping is mainly resorted to by charioteers while driving their horses and the terms designating whips are therefore frequently found in the war-books. Used metaphorically, the expression “whip-like words” designates cutting, hurtful speech. Excessive whipping of draught-animals is considered cruel and is seen as a sign of low birth. When humans are whipped, this is regarded as particularly insulting, since such treatment is usually reserved for animals, but the outcome for the offenders is unequal: kings who whip brahmins are swiftly punished and cursed, whereas brahmins who flog kings get away with it scot-free. Such tales are most frequently found in the MBh’s Anuśāsanaparvan, where they serve to underscore the brahmins’ superiority.
Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Jaimini’s Book of the Horse Sacrifice (Jaiminīya Āśvamēdhikaparvan) is a late mediaeval Vaiṣṇava text that is unusual for several reasons. In this article we examine the interplay of violence, devotion and ritual in the Sanskrit vorlage and its Kannada transfiguration—the Jaiminibhārata of Lakṣmīśa (ca. 1500 CE). Violent emotions or extreme feelings are deeply imbricated in South Asia religious discourse. Extreme feeling is entangled with the history of texts that emerged as a result of interreligious and intra- religious debate. Our article puts forth the idea of violence as a mode of bhakti devotion, and we historicize the emergence of violence-as-bhakti in the Vaiṣṇava context, using the tale of Mayūradhvaja from Jaimini’s Book.
In the paper, I examine the concept of “cruelty” (kaṭumai) of physical substances in the Tamil siddha alchemical literature, by taking as the starting point an analysis of the selected texts ascribed to Siddhar Yākōpu alias Rāmatēvar (ca. 17th–18th c.), a prominent author of the Tamil siddha alchemical tradition. The alchemical works of Yākōpu repeatedly describe certain alchemical operations, the names of which allude to acts of violence, such as “binding” (kaṭṭutal) and “killing” (kollutal). Such operations, according to the texts, should be mastered and performed by alchemists on various material substances. In the paper, I analyze passages that shed light on the purpose and character of such operations in the alchemical tradition of the Siddhars. I also address the issue of the non-human material agency related to the perspective of material ecocriticism as presented in the Tamil siddha texts.
In a recent study (Pontillo 2016) it has been argued that the Mahābhārata contains traces of a heterodox culture, the Vrātya-culture, and these emerge most clearly in connection with Bhīṣma and Droṇa. In this article it will be strongly suggested that any analysis of these two epic characters should take Kṛpa into account as well, since he has many features in common with them, especially with Droṇa. Furthermore, after a briefly outlined proposal to explain these commonalities, the function of the narrative character of Kṛpa will be examined.
Among the extensive repertoire of Pāṇḍya dynastic themes, the motif of clash between a Pāṇḍya sovereign and Indra is ubiquitous. This topos which supposedly originated around middle of the 5th century CE, can be traced to Cilapattikāram XI, 17–30, which celebrates a Pāṇḍya monarch wearing Indra’s garland, capturing the clouds, and breaking the god’s crown. The narrative was later employed in the Tiruviḷaiyāṭaṟpurāṇam (late 13th century) and its Sanskrit rendering, the Hālāsyamāhātmya (14th–15th centuries), where the actions of the Pāṇḍya kings were inserted in the narratives about the divine līlās of Śiva in Madurai. Since the early phase of the dynasty, this mytheme was employed as a tool of political display in the South. After a survey of the motif in the first phase of the imperial documents, the paper will focus on the reemployment of the category of royal violence in the Teṅkāśi dynastic period (14th–18th centuries CE), using the lens of the official copper plates of the late Pāṇḍya chancery and the previous Sanskrit literary production.
Vīrabhadra, the Dreadful Destroyer of Sacrifice
When Śiva is not invited to the great sacrifice organised by Dakṣa, his bride Satī’s father, he emanates from himself the terrible Vīrabhadra, who completely destroys the sacrificial arena. The remote origins of this mythical story, which is extensively narrated especially in the Purāṇas, lie in some myths concerning Rudra, Śiva’s Vedic-Brahmanic precursor. The cult of Vīrabhadra spread throughout South India during the Vijayanagara empire, mainly thanks to the Śivaite sect of the Vīraśaivas. The long-lasting diffusion of his cult is also demonstrated by the wide production of metal plaques depicting this god. A few years ago the art collectors Paola and Giuseppe Berger donated a conspicuous collection of these plaques to the Veneranda Accademia Ambrosiana of Milan; they are currently on display in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. Many of these plaques are possibly attributable to the 18th and 19th centuries and their exact provenance cannot be defined at the present stage of studies, but most of them presumably come from Karnataka. They show an almost constant basic iconography, but also a wide range of different artistic languages. Here we propose a general analysis of this repertoire, and a more detailed description of some of the specimens.
This paper focuses on the genesis of the association between the Indian warrior goddess and the lion. As is well-known, this is a goddess with a multifaceted identity, who evokes both imperial grandeur and village cultic practices. This figure cannot be identified as Mahiṣāsuramardinī or Durgā in any Pre-Kuṣāṇa and Kuṣāṇa text or inscription. A considerable influence on her burgeoning representation was probably exercised by Nanā, a Hellenistic goddess, who takes on characteristics of the Mesopotamian Inanna-Ištar, typically associated with lions. Significantly, in the early centuries CE, this feline was still a widespread species on the Subcontinent and had already become identified as the fiercest wild predator, informing the long-lasting lion-warrior imagery. While the background and the rise of Durgā have been the object of several studies, relatively little attention has been paid to her symbolic association with the lion as a key perspective that may contribute to providing a deeper understanding of both the shaping and the significance of this divine figure. By analysing some of the most significant of the earliest iconographic and textual representations, this paper is an initial attempt to employ the feline attribute as a prism to trace the earliest phase in the historical process of the development of the goddess. It may provide insights regarding both the degree of entanglement between local cults and early Hinduism, and the interrelation between the representation of this warrior goddess and kingship ideology in Kuṣāṇa and early Gupta India.
This paper is an attempt to probe into depiction of violence and death in the classical Sanskrit drama, especially in its avatar as Kūṭiyāṭṭam, a living performative tradition related to the temple theatre of Kerala. Stage depictions of terrible scenes of violence, and death as the culmination of it, will be examined here in the context of semiotics by including in its ramifications costume, colour scheme, tonal features and acting. The paper will first review the attitude of the Nāṭyaśāstra to presenting darker side of life on the stage and then turn to issues related to portrayal of violence and death in Kūṭiyāṭṭam. It will also take the opportunity to briefly touch upon other classical performative art forms, like Kathakaḷi, which are based on epic and Purāṇic themes, and are noted for their prominent portrayal of violence on stage.
The article presents an in-depth analysis of the description of the battlefield found in the poem Varadāmbikāpariṇaya or “The Marriage of Varadāmbikā,” composed in verse and prose (campū) by Tirumalāmbā, a poetess active at Acyutadevarāya’s court, and most likely his wife. The detailed accounts of war campaigns, with depictions of marching troops and battles, concern the figure of Acyutadevarāya’s father, Narasa Nāyaka, whom the authoress calls King Narasiṃha. The verbal portrayal of the battle against the Chola ruler is particularly striking. It is unlikely to find in other works of kāvya literary tradition a similarly dazzling compilation of images painting a word picture of the battleground by means of objects and situations belonging to a sphere of human life so different from the deadly combat.
The aim of this article is to reflect on certain keywords of the Rajput world shaped by the “predominantly masculine martial culture” (Kasturi 2002: 12). Those keywords are crucial to understanding the phenomenon of violence in the Rajput milieu, violence that is perpetrated irrespective of kshatriyahood and outside the battlefield. Keeping in mind that violence cannot be identified with a particular community, but certain types of aggressive acts can be associated with certain social classes or groups (Kasturi 2002: 20), this article seeks to demonstrate that terms such as vair, bāroṭiyā, dacoity, and bhomiyāvat, reveal the mechanisms of collective violence in the socio-political practice of the Rajputs. This will be useful in understanding the cultural background of specific regional patterns of violent behaviour in contrast to the colonial stereotype of a Rajput as primitive, violent, but brave.
Razak Khan. 2022. Minority Pasts: Locality, Emotions, and Belonging in Princely Rampur. Delhi: Oxford University Press. Mir Yar Ali ‘Jan Sahib’. 2021. The Incomparable Festival. Ed. Razak Khan. Transl. Shad Naved. Gurugram: Penguin Random House India
Studies on Tantra in Bengal and Eastern India. Ed. Madhu Khanna, Singapore: Springer 2022. pp. 188. ISBN 978-981-19-3022-5 (eBook) —Reviewed by Robert Czyżykowski (Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland)